CBD oil could help cure debilitating phobias, such as spiders and heights, scientists say

According to NHS estimates, around 10 million people in the UK have a phobia, described as an ‘overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal’.

Fear of heights, public speaking and spiders are among the most common phobias in Britain.

Research says the oil could cure a phobia of spiders

But now scientists claim cannabidiol - the oil extracted from cannabis plants and which is enjoying a huge surge in popularity in the UK - could be a secret weapon in fighting the dread.

A team of psychiatric researchers from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, are focusing on the ‘endocannabinoid system’ - a physiological system that regulates the body’s responses to stress.

While the endocannabinoid system is active in everyone, in some cases it’s not functioning perfectly, which results in hormone imbalances and the exacerbation of fears.

And the Dutch experts say cannabidiol can ‘enhance’ this natural system and help overcome phobias - when used in conjunction with ‘exposure therapy’, where a patient is gradually exposed to the source of their anxiety.

For anyone with a fear of heights, CBD oil may be the answer

Writing in the journal BMC Psychiatry this month, lead author Dr Johanna Baas says: “Phobic anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and are burdensome in terms of loss of quality of life and work productivity.

“Evidence-based treatments are relatively successful in the majority of patients, especially exposure therapy.

“However, a substantial subset of patients fails to achieve or stay in remission.

“Preclinical and genetic research have yielded evidence that the cannabinoid system is involved in the extinction of fear, presumed to underlie the beneficial effects of exposure therapy in phobic disorders.

“A cannabinoid constituent that may enhance endocannabinoid signaling is cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis. Hence, the addition of CBD to exposure therapy is expected to strengthen effects of treatment.”

Dr Baas and her team are about to embark on an 8 week study to see if their claims are true, and says it’s the very first investigation into CBD and phobias.

She adds: “This is the first trial to investigate whether the addition of CBD to exposure therapy is effective in reducing phobic symptoms in treatment refractory patients with social phobia or panic disorder with agoraphobia.”